Chuck Kirman/The Star
Oxnard resident Steve Binder, who produced and directed the 1968 Elvis Presley "The Comeback Special,"
will present a question-and-answer session and sign copies of his book about the special on Saturday at Crazy Dr. Cafe from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. He admires one of the Elvis items that will be on display for the public to see.

Ventura County Star

Chuck Kirman/The Star
Oxnard resident Steve Binder, who produced and directed the 1968 Elvis Presley "The Comeback Special,"
will present a question-and-answer session and sign copies of his book about the special on Saturday at Crazy Dr. Cafe from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Ventura County Star

Chuck Kirman/The Star
Oxnard resident Steve Binder, who produced and directed the 1968 Elvis Presley "The Comeback Special,"
will present a question-and-answer session and sign copies of his book about the special on Saturday at Crazy Dr. Cafe from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Chuck Kirman/The Star
Oxnard resident Steve Binder, who produced and directed the 1968 Elvis Presley "The Comeback Special,"
will present a question-and-answer session and sign copies of his book about the special on Saturday at Crazy Dr. Cafe from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Ventura County Star

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has entered the building.

Never mind that The King died in the summer of 1977. To celebrate what would have been Elvis Presley's 78th birthday Tuesday, his music, legacy and beloved peanut butter and banana sandwiches will be featured during Elvis Week at Crazy Dr. Cafe.

The Ventura restaurant is co-owned by Oxnard resident Steve Binder, director of the 1968 "Elvis" TV show known as "The Comeback Special."

"There are certain icons — Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elvis — who will always stay young and alive in our memories," Binder said. "I remember him as he was in '68 — still young enough, vibrant and healthy, no drugs. He was charismatic and fun to be around."

Music from the special will be played daily at the cafe, at 2991 Loma Vista Road. Binder, who owns the business with his wife, Sharon Binder, and stepson, Dr. Nathan Weber, an anesthesiologist at Ventura County Medical Center, also has brought in two framed posters for temporary display on the walls.

"Not even the Elvis Presley estate has these," Binder said of the posters, one of which commemorates the special's limited theatrical release in 2004.

They are part of a "Comeback Special" memorabilia collection so complete it includes the Social Security numbers of every dancer who appears onstage with Presley in the show, Binder added with a laugh.

But the highlight of Elvis Week will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, when Binder will visit the cafe for a question-and-answer session about the making of the TV special.

He also will sign copies of "68 at 40: A Retrospective," his 2008 book on the topic.

"We've also put a peanut butter and banana smoothie called The '68 Special on the menu for the week. If people like it, we'll keep it going," Binder said.

Born in Los Angeles, Binder started his entertainment career at KABC-TV, where he worked his way up from the mailroom to directing "The "Soupy Sales Show" and Al Jarvis' "Make Believe Ballroom."

Binder also directed "The Steve Allen Show" before he was tapped to helm "The T.A.M.I. Show," his first feature film. Also known as Teen-Age Awards Music International, the project starred Marvin Gaye, James Brown and The Rolling Stones.

Its success led to what the Binder, who has won an Emmy and been nominated for a Golden Globe Award, calls one of his most important achievements: producing and directing a TV special in which Petula Clark, a white singer, and Harry Belafonte, who is black, touched while performing. The crossing of the "color line" was a prime time variety show first, Binder said.

It helped put Binder's name at the top of the list of possible directors for the 1968 TV special starring The King.

At the time, Presley hadn't logged a Top 10 hit in six years or appeared in front of an audience in seven. His famously controlling manager, Colonel Tom Parker, envisioned the show as a holiday special featuring Christmas tunes, Binder said.

But Binder saw the potential for something more lasting. Presley and he worked to create the special's blend of intimate jam sessions and sweeping orchestral pieces mixed with audience interaction. Many credit the special as a precursor to MTV's "Unplugged" concert series.

Binder's career as a director and producer later included projects with Michael Jackson and Rick Springfield, and with Diana Ross, with whom he is in talks for a special.

It also forged an introduction to his wife, whose acting credits as Sharon Clark and Sharon Weber include appearances on "Charlie's Angels" and "CHiPs" and in the 1976 film "Lifeguard" with Sam Elliott. She also has worked as a marriage and family therapist and a teacher in the public school system.

The couple are new to the restaurant business. So is Binder's stepson, who began frequenting the cafe when it was known as Juice & Java.

When Juice & Java's owner announced early last year he was selling the place and moving to Florida, Nathan Weber and a business partner bought it.

"I wanted to keep it up and running so I could get my daily coffee and fill my daily eating habit," Weber told The Star last spring.

The menu and décor were updated and the name changed to Crazy Dr. Cafe.

The Binders bought out the business partner four months ago, making the cafe a family affair. Sharon is on the premises three or four times a week. Steve organized Elvis Week as a way to publicize the cafe and connect with Elvis fans, he said.

"I worked with so many major stars, but I'd never been around a phenomenon quite like Elvis," Binder said. "He is bigger than rock 'n' roll. You realize that the minute you see 5-year-olds running around with pasted-on sideburns."

If you go

Elvis Week includes Elvis Presley music and a display of rare posters at the Crazy Dr. Cafe, 2991 Loma Vista Road in Ventura. On Saturday, cafe co-owner Steve Binder, director of Presley's 1968 "Comeback Special," will appear for a question-and-answer session from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Binder also will sign copies of "68 at 40," his book about the show. Free samples of peanut butter and banana sandwiches will be served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.